Ski boot

ABSTRACT

A ski boot is made of a rigid material and is adapted to prevent the skier&#39;&#39;s heel from being lifted up when he leans forwardly while skiing. A shaft for receiving the skier&#39;&#39;s lower leg portion is pivotably connected to a boot proper and is capable of pivoting forwardly. The shaft can be closed or opened at the rear portion thereof. A heel holding member is pivotably connected at the rear portion of the boot proper and is disposed inside of the shaft when the skier wears the boot. A forward inclination of the shaft causes the rear portion of the shaft to slide along the heel holding member and move the heel holding member in a pivotal motion toward the toe, with the result that the skier&#39;&#39;s heel is depressed forwardly and downwardly to hold to the bottom of the boot.

United States Patent [191 Koyama et al.

[ SKI BOOT [75] Inventors: Akira Koyama, Kashiwa; Yoshinari Mochizuki, Tokyo, both of Japan [73] Assignee: Hope Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo-to,

Japan [22] Filed: May 14, 1973 [2]] Appl. No.: 360,011

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Primary ExaminerPatrick D. Lawson Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Diller, Brown, Ramik & Wight [57] ABSTRACT A ski boot is made of a rigid material and is adapted to prevent the skiers heel from being lifted up when he leans forwardly while skiing. A shaft for receiving the skiers lower leg portion is pivotably connected to a boot proper and is capable of pivoting forwardly. The shaft can be closed or opened at the rear portion thereof. A heel holding member is pivotably connected at the rear portion of the boot proper and is disposed inside of the shaft when the skier wears the boot. A forward inclination of the shaft causes the rear portion of the shaft to slide along the heel holding member and move the heel holding member in a pivotal motion toward the toe, with the result that the skiers heel is depressed forwardly and downwardly to hold to the bottom of the boot.

1 Claim, 5 Drawing Figures PATENIEUJANZI ms sum 1 n; 2'

H0. (A) FIG. m3)

SKI BOOT This invention relates to a ski boot made of a rigid material.

It is a recent tendency for skiers to use ski boots made of rigid materials such as metals or rigid plastics. These ski boots made of a rigid material generally consist of a boot proper and a shaft portion embracing the skiers leg. The lower end portion of the shaft is pivotably connected on both sides thereof to the upper edge portion of the boot proper by means of pins or the like elements so that the shaft may tilt in a forward direction to enable a forward lean motion of the skier while skiing.

When the skier who wears the ski boots of the above described type with inner boots fitted therein takes a forward lean position while skiing, his lower legs are tilted in a forward direction and the rear portion of the shafts of the ski boots and his heels are pulled upwardly. Accordingly, his heels are lifted from the bottom of the inner boots with the result that he is obliged to ski under a very unstable condition.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel and useful ski boot which has eliminated the above described disadvantage of the prior art ski boots.

It is another object of the invention to provide a ski boot in which the skiers lower legs only are pivoted forwardly about the ankle together with the shafts of the ski boots when he takes a foward lean position while skiing and the forward inclination of the shafts is converted to an action for pressing his heels obliquely downwardly at the back thereof, whereby stableness in skiing is ensured in all skiing conditions.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a ski boot which permits the skier to insert or remove his foot from the boot easily and quickly and which is easy to manufacture and assemble.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the description made hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGS. 1 (A) and (B) are front and top plan views of the ski boot according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ski boot in an open position;

FIG. 3 is a vertically sectional side view of the ski boot showing a state in which the skier wears it in an upstanding position; and

FIG. 4 is a vertically sectional side view of the ski boot showing a state in which the skier wears it in a forward lean position.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate one embodiment of the ski boot according to the invention. In these figures, only a left boot is shown for illustrative purpose, but it will be appreciated that a right boot is entirely of the same construction.

A boot proper l and a shaft 2 are made of rigid materials such as metals or rigid plastics. The shaft 2 is made separately from the boot proper 1. The boot proper 1 has, as shown in FIG. 1(A), a sole In which gradually increases its thickness from the outer side It toward the inner side lb. The boot proper 1 has an upper edge portion Id which rises arcuately in the front portion and falls at a gradual slope from the vamp portion to either side of the boot proper l and drops close to the sole at the rear part 1e.

A heel holding member 3 is pivotably connected at the lower end thereof to the rear part 1e of the boot proper l by means of a pin or a connecting member made of a flexible material. The heel holding member 3 is made of a rigid material and consists of a lower portion 3a having a depressed inner surface which is complimentary with the contour of a heel portion 4a of an inner boot 4, a middle portion 3b having a projecting inner surface which is complimentary with the contour of a depressed ankle portion 4b of the inner boot 4 which is contiguous to the heel portion 4a, and an upper portion 30 extending from the middle portion 3b and having a surface which is complimentary with the back of a lower leg portion of the inner boot 4. The upper portion 3c has a length such that its upper end is disposed near the upper end of the inner boot 4 when the heel holding member 3 engages the inner boot 4.

The shaft 2 comprises left and right shaft members 20 and 2b which are connected to each other at the front edges thereof by means of a hinge 5 and can be opened at the back. The lower front portion of each shaft member is cut off so as to conform to the arcuate front part of the upper edge portion 1d and to permit a forward lean motion of the skier during skiing.

The lower side portion of the left and right shaft members 2a and 2b extend downwardly and these extended portions 20 are connected to both sides of the upper edge portion ld to permit a forward inclination of the shaft 2. In order to connect the shaft 2 to the boot proper 1, various means may be employed. For example, a projection may be provided either on the extended portions 20 or the upper edge portion 1d and a recess in the remaining portion to receive the projection. Alternatively, the extended portions 20 may be connected to the upper edge portion 1d by means of a pin or the like. In the embodiment of the present invention in which the shaft 2 consists of the two members interconnected at the front by means of the hinge 5, a pin-like projection 6 may preferably be provided either on the extended portions 20 or on the upper edge portion 1d and a hole-like recess to receive the projection 6 formed in the remaining portion as illustrated in FIG. 2, so that the shaft 2 may be separated by having the projection 6 disengaged from the recess.

The back portion 2d of the shaft 2 is of a relatively narrow vertical width and is adapted to engage the outer surface of the upper portion 30 of the heel holding member 3. The back portion 2d slides along the outer surface of the upper portion 3c within a limited extent when the shaft 2 is tilted forwardly. A sheet made of metal, synthetic fiber or the like may be bonded to the inner surface of the back portion 2d of the shaft 2 and the outer surface of the upper portion 30 of the heel holding member 3 so as to facilitate the sliding movement of the back portion 2d relative to the upper portion 30.

The extended portions 2c of the shaft 2 are pivotally connected to the upper edge portion 1d at pivoting points A and B as shown in FIG. 1(8). The inner pivoting point A is located nearer to the boot toe than the outer pivoting point B to enable the shaft 2 to move to a forwardly outwardly inclined position. Such movement of the shaft 2 substantially corresponds to an anatomically natural movement of the skier's leg about his ankle with the result that the skier wearing this type of boots will not be tired even if he skis for many hours and that he can effectively edge the inside edge lb of the sole la in his skiing manoeuver.

A shock absorbing cylinder assembly 7 connected obliquely between the shaft 2 and the boot proper 1 comprises threaded rods 7a and 7b and a compression spring (not shown) interconnecting these rods. The rod 7a is pivotally connected to the front portion of the shaft 2 and'the rod 7b is pivotally connected to the vamp of the boot proper l. The cylinder assembly 7 acts to absorb shock accompanying the forward leaning of the skier and also to adjust forward inclinations of the shaft 2.

In the figures, reference numeral 8 designates a buckle which is adapted to hold the two shaft members 2a and 2b in their close position and reference numeral 9 designates a cover provided between the front shaft portion and the boot proper l to prevent intrusion of snow and ice into the inside of the boot.

When the skier desires to put on the ski boot, the buckle 8 is first released to open the left and right shaft members 2a and 2b. As the left and right shaft members 2a and 2b are opened wide apart from each other, the shaft members 2a and 2b are disengaged from the boot proper 1. Then the heel holding member 3 is pivoted rearwardly to enable the skier to insert his foot and leg into the inner boot 4. If the shaft members 2a and 2b are made openable by means of hinges provided behind the pivoting points A and B, the shaft 2 need not be made detachable from the boot proper 1.

After the skier has inserted his foot in the inner boot 4, the heel holding member 3 is raised to a position in which it rests against the back of the inner boot 4. Nextly, the left and right shaft members2a and 2b of the shaft 2 are closed in such a manner that these shaft members embrace the heel holding member 3. Then the buckle 8 is closed and the skiers foot and leg are sungly fitted in the ski boot.

When the skier takes a forward lean position during skiing, the shaft 2 is pivoted forwardly about the pivoting points A and B relative to the boot proper 1. This pivotal movement of the shaft 2 causes the heel holding member 3 to tilt forwardly and the back portion 2d of the shaft 2 slides upwardly along the outer surface of the heel holding member 3. The lower portion 3a of the heel holding member 3 having a depressed surface and encircling the skiers heel and the middle portion 3b contiguous thereto having a projecting surface press the skiers heel forwardly and downwardly through the inner boot 4 thereby holding the heel to the bottom of the inner boot 4.

When the skier returns to the upstanding position from the forward lean position, the shaft 2 is pivoted rearwardly and the heel holding members 3 is moved back. Thus, the skier can enjoy skiing under a very stable condition. a

As described in the foregoing, the ski boot according to the invention comprises a heel holding member connected pivotably to the rear portion of the upper end of the boot proper and having depressed and projecting surfaces for holding the skiers heel forwardly and downwardly, the extended portion of the heel holding member being engaged by the rear portion of the shaft and the shaft being slidable along the extended portion. According to this construction, the heel holding member acts to hold the skiers heel forwardly and downwardly against the bottom of the inner boot when the skier takes a forward lean position thereby preventing the heel from being lifted up in ,the forward lean position. Thus, the skier can maintain a complete stability of his feet during skiing and effect a highly advanced skiing maneuver.

What is claimed is:

l. A ski boot made of a rigid material comprising a boot proper, a generally tubular shaft pivotably connected to said boot proper for receiving the wearers lower leg portion, said tubular shaft being movable to a fowardly outwardly inclined position relative to said boot proper, means connected between a front portion of said tubular shaft and an upper portion of said boot proper for adjusting forward inclinations of said tubular shaft, said tubular shaft being formed of two hinge portions pivotally connected to each other about a generally vertical pivot remote from a heel of said boot proper, a heel holding member pivotably connected at one end thereof to a rear portion of said boot proper and being disposed inside of a rear portion of said tubu' lar shaft when the wearers leg is fitted in said tubular shaft, the rear portion of said tubular shaft sliding up wardly along said heel holding member for depressing the wearers heel forwardly and downwardly when said tubular shaft is moved to the forwardly outwardly inclined position, means for buckling said hinge portion to each other adjacent said heel, and the vertical height of a rear portion of said tubular shaft being substantially lesser than the vertical height of said tubular shaft front portion to thereby facilitate the sliding movement of said tubular shaft relative to said heel holding member. 

1. A ski boot made of a rigid material comprising a boot proper, a generally tubular shaft pivotably connected to said boot proper for receiving the wearer''s lower leg portion, said tubular shaft being movable to a fowardly outwardly inclined position relative to said boot proper, means connected between a front portion of said tubular shaft and an upper portion of said boot proper for adjusting forward inclinations of said tubular shaft, said tubular shaft being formed of two hinge portions pivotally connected to each other about a generally vertical pivot remote from a heel of said boot proper, a heel holding member pivotably connected at one end thereof to a rear portion of said boot proper and being disposed inside of a rear portion of said tubular shaft when the wearer''s leg is fitted in said tubular shaft, the rear portion of said tubular shaft sliding upwardly along said heel holding member for depressing the wearer''s heel forwardly and downwardly when said tubular shaft is moved to the forwardly outwardly inclined position, means for buckling said hinge portion to each other adjacent said heel, and the vertical height of a rear portion of said tubular shaft being substantially lesser than the vertical height of said tubular shaft front portion to thereby facilitate the sliding movement of said tubular shaft relative to said heel holding member. 